A.M. Roundup: Cuomo gunning for step increases

Good morning! Snow is coming in this afternoon, but it will mostly be south and west of Albany. Gov. Andrew Cuomo is in Syracuse today, presenting his budget at SU. The Assembly and Senate remain in session, still slogging through conference committees. Here are today’s headlines…

Still, Casey writes: ALBANY — With just a week to go before the state budget deadline, Tuesday’s traditional lobby day was defined by advocates advocating for what they advocated for in past weeks — only more so. (TU)

Michael Goodwin thinks medical malpractice awards should be capped: Their ilk have made a killing with a bipartisan malpractice scam that helps explain why New York’s Medicaid costs are tops in the country. The system is ridiculously expensive, a boon to trial lawyers and too often bears no resemblance to actual medical mistakes.//It’s long past time for a new model that takes care of families with legitimate needs, but without unduly enriching ambulance chasers and gouging taxpayers. Democrat Cuomo’s plan offers that combination. (NYP)